x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Dear body, I"m listening

Dear Body, I"m Listening is the podcast for women living with chronic pain, mysterious symptoms, and invisible illness. Hosted by movement therapist, Pilates instructor, and chronic illness navigator Donna Piper, this show is a sanctuary for those who"ve tried everything, felt dismissed, and are still searching for answers. If you"ve ever felt like your body is speaking a language no one else understands—you"re not crazy, and you"re not alone. In this space, nothing is off the table. We talk openly

health & fitness alternative health

All Episodes

34:44

MCAS vs Histamine Intolerance Why Your Body Reacts to...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2026/02/05

"A reaction is not a moral failure— it's information. Your body is just responding to something, and right now it's giving you signals that it doesn't want that or it needs some extra help." —Donna Piper When every meal feels like a risk and symptoms seem to come out of nowhere, it can start to feel like the body has turned against us. Many in the chronic illness community are stuck between labels like "histamine intolerance" and "MCAS" while still getting no clear plan or validation. This

en

31:22

Rest Without Guilt (When Your Worth Got Tied to Output)

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2026/01/29

"Rest isn't a character flaw. It's what your body needs in order to heal from these invisible illnesses. And for some of us, it's also a grief process, because we're not just resting from task; we're resting from the version of ourselves who thought we had to earn love through output." —Donna Piper Ep 36 Shownotes: Podcast Platforms We talk about rest like it is simple, but for many bodies it brings guilt, fear, and shame. When worth gets tied to productivity, stopping can feel dangerous even

en

13:12

Is It POTS? When Standing Up Feels Like a Trap

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2026/01/22

"You're not making it up. You're not weak, you're not failing. Your body is working hard to keep you upright, and you deserve support that matches the reality of that." —Donna Piper Standing up should not require strategy, recovery time, or mental math. When heart rate spikes, dizziness hits, and showers wipe us out, the hardest part is not the symptom. It is being told nothing is wrong while our body says otherwise. Donna shares lived experience with POTS, dysautonomia, and multiple

en

12:31

Traveling with Chronic Illness: Germany Edition

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2026/01/15

"If you're traveling with chronic illness, I want you to hear me. There is nothing wrong with you. You just have to prepare a little bit. You deserve to travel in a way that doesn't punish you, that helps you, that makes you feel good." —Donna Piper Travel takes more out of the body than most people admit. For those living with chronic illness, the cost shows up before the suitcase is even packed. Energy drains through lines, noise, time pressure, swelling, and the fear of crashing far from home

en

19:49

Pack, Move, Fly, Heal: Why I'm Choosing Germany for...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2026/01/08

"Movement and less pain is why I'm doing this and why I've chosen to go to Germany." —Donna Piper Big life changes rarely wait their turn. When health decisions collide with exhaustion, logistics, and uncertainty, clarity matters more than certainty. Donna shares the personal and medical reasoning behind traveling to Germany for lipedema surgery while managing multiple chronic conditions. This episode traces how lived experience, failed conservative treatments, and the need for long-term care

en

38:38

Lipedema Surgery Vs. Non-Surgical Care… Do I Have To...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2026/01/01

"Anything you choose is not weakness. It's the best for you… Instead of thinking surgery or no surgery, try this question: 'What would make my next step safer?'... Safety is a step, not a switch." —Donna Piper Pressure around medical choices can turn care into panic. When the body is complex and money, time, and fear are involved, certainty starts to feel like a deadline. This conversation slows that moment down and gives it room to breathe. In this episode, Donna shares her lived experience

en

20:26

Hot Flashes, Heavy Legs: Lipedema Meets Perimenopause...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/12/25

"Lipedema is not a willpower issue. Shame is not a treatment plan. Late diagnosis does not mean late reality. It means late recognition. Your best advocate is yourself. There's nothing wrong with you. You've just been navigating a body that hasn't been understood by the medical world yet. Be gentle with your capacity. Meet yourself where you are." —Donna Piper Bodies can change in ways that do not follow the rules we were taught. Pain, swelling, and heaviness show up, and the explanations never

en

15:12

How Trauma Rewrites Pain Part 4: Flare or Trauma...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/12/18

"Flares and trauma responses often look the same because fascia remembers, the nervous system protects, and the immune system overreacts to help defend itself, and the body is trying to keep you alive, not confused. So your job isn't to decode perfectly. Your job is to offer safety consistently, because when the body feels safe, the symptoms soften, and when the symptoms soften, the story changes, and when the story changes, the healing becomes possible." —Donna Piper The body can shift from

en

54:24

Transformation Boundaries: Protect Energy And Design...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/12/11

"Move forward, take action. It may happen, it may not, but it's just about putting one step in front of the other— doing that is so important. When you go forward, you realize, 'oh, that's not for me', but in the process, you discover what is." —Didi Selwa Drop the guilt of being stuck and discover a movement that meets your body where it is. Press play to hear how embodiment, faith, and small practical steps shift shame, chronic illness limits, and stalled dreams into forward motion. Didi Selwa

en

01:00:08

The Science of Feeling Safe: Gentle Practices to...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/12/04

"We are the experts in our well-being and our own bodies, and it's important for us to advocate for ourselves. We're not defined by our past. Our past is gone. It's in the past, and the beliefs we formed about ourselves based on what we've been told by other people or experienced in the past aren't necessarily true." —Ann Diment Some seasons of life push us past our limits, and the body keeps score long before we understand why. Many of us try to outwork the chaos, yet the real shift begins when

en

01:01:22

Loving You Through the Hard Days: A Caregiver's...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/11/27

"The holiday is around the corner, and what do you want for Christmas? All I really care about is I just want you to get healthy. I just want your body to stop causing you so much pain, and I want you to be excited about the clothes that you're wearing and the way that your body looks and feels, and to feel like you're back in the driver's seat of your life. And if I can give that to her, that's more than anything I could ever have hoped to get for my wife in her entire life. And so that's why,

en

22:59

How Trauma Rewrites Pain Part 3—When Trauma Turns on...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/11/20

"Trauma doesn't just live in your memories, your fascia, or your nervous system. It can also reshape your immune system, especially when no one helped you feel safe. That doesn't mean it's your fault, and that doesn't mean your body isn't on your side. It means that your body has been on your side this whole time, trying to protect you the only way it knew how." —Donna Piper Some days your body throws signals you cannot ignore, but no one seems to hear them. The swelling, the exhaustion, the

en

57:59

Thermal Imaging for Health: Early Answers, Less...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/11/12

"It's a balance between getting information and trusting experts. It's really important that as a patient, you have to be your own advocate." —Robert KaneWhen it comes to our body, uncertainty can be the hardest symptom to treat. Worry sets in when answers are fuzzy, and bouncing between specialists leaves us more confused than before. The real question is: how can we know what’s happening inside before a health crisis begins? After doubting conventional answers and searching for tools

en

80:09

Chronic Pain & Trauma: Gently Breaking The Invisible...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/11/05

"The body's intelligent. We just have to show up. I equate it to a dance where the body leads and I follow." —Peter StuartYou can run from nagging pain, but it keeps showing up in new ways—wrecking sleep, fouling up moods, and shutting down energy. The worst part? Real answers are rare, and the world keeps telling you to just “push through” or “try harder.” Maybe it’s not about willpower at all—it’s about listening to the actual story your body’s been trying to tell for years. Peter

en

66:08

How Real Connection Supports Healing (Even When...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/10/29

“Push your life to be the life that you want and not accept that it's just the way it is. Every choice that you make should be toward loving the life that you have.” —Heather Nelson Connection isn’t just a feel-good extra. It’s a lifeline when the world feels heavy and invisible battles make us want to shut down. Isolation, overwhelm, and invisible struggles don’t need to be our whole story; even small acts of reaching out can reshape everything. The truth is, connecting with the right

en

16:36

The Science of Rest— What the Lipkin Study Taught Us...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/10/22

“Pace first, safety builds capacity.” —Donna PiperThere’s a kind of tired that sleep can’t fix, a crash that feels invisible to everyone but you. You push, you pace, you try to “do all the right things,” yet your body still calls a timeout. Maybe it’s not weakness or lack of willpower. Maybe your body’s simply working harder than anyone realizes.In this episode, Donna unpacks a revolutionary study on chronic fatigue, the real science behind “the crash,” and why pacing, rest, and nervous

en

68:22

Beyond the Diagnosis: Reclaiming Life and Purpose...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/10/15

"Trust your instinct… Our bodies sound an alarm bell that something isn’t right, and we ignore it for years. Don’t ignore it. Don't accept the bare minimum answer. Just because your labs are normal does not mean that your body is functioning optimally." —Hiba HamatiGoing to doctor after doctor, trying every tip, and still wondering why your pain and swelling never make sense. You know there’s something happening that nobody else seems to see, and not getting answers just wears you down

en

23:01

If Only I Were Skinny…

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/10/08

"Your body is not the enemy—the world's impossible standards are. And every time you name that truth out loud, you don't just free yourself, you also free someone else.” —Donna PiperSome lies are so loud they start to sound like truth—like the idea that confidence waits on the other side of weight loss. And the hardest part? The shame of not being skinny can at times feel heavier than our own weight, turning every step forward into a fight against an invisible anchor. Donna spent years

en

27:05

How Trauma Rewrites Pain, Part 2: When Fight or...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/10/01

"If trauma rewrote the wiring one way, that means safety relationship and somatic practices can rewrite it the other way— it is the long game; there is no quick fix.” —Donna PiperSometimes you do everything right, but your body keeps sending SOS signals no one else can see. Doubt creeps in—is this real, or is something deeper going on? You’re not alone; your body’s story matters, and what you feel makes perfect sense. For years, Donna felt invisible, questioned, and let down by quick

en

70:13

Dollars and Cents: The Real Financial Stress of Being...

Dear body, I"m listening ·

2025/09/24

"I'm not my bills. I'm not my debt. I am worthy of care." —Donna PiperBeing sick isn’t just exhausting—it’s expensive in ways nobody warns you about. The stress of medical bills, insurance denials, and endless receipts can weigh just as heavily as the symptoms themselves. If you’re tired of feeling like your wallet is as worn out as your body, you’re not alone. In this episode, Donna opens up about the real price tag of chronic illness, sharing her journey through misdiagnoses,

en

37 results

Similar Podcasts

Доктор Тройняшкин

Доктор Тройняшкин

The Dry Eye Treatment PODCAST

Dry Eye Treatment

Différent et alors ?

PATRICK SULAY

Kyle Kingsbury Podcast

Kyle Kingsbury

The Real Weight Loss Coach

Matty Lansdown